Mulayam plays Advani, deals out a 'Ram' card
If L K Advani can do it, so can Mulayam Singh Yadav -- play the Ram card, that is.
So what do we have here but an announcement from the
Samajwadi party president that a certain newly-created district in
Lucknow would be accorded a very Ramayanic name, even if he had to move
heaven and New Delhi?
"Jyotiba Phule Nagar (the district in question)," the defence
minister announced royally, "will be renamed Chittrakoot Dam!"
Created during former chief minister
Mayawati's regime, the district's 'unorthodox' name, according to Mulayam Singh,
has 'hurt the sentiments of devout Hindus.'
"Naming the district Jyotiba Phule Nagar," thundered Mulayam
Singh at an impressive gathering in Lucknow, "is nothing but a
mockery of culture, religion, traditions
and faith of the people. The SP will not tolerate it."
His party, he went on, was planning a three
day meet at Chittrakoot
to chalk out a strategy -- in consultation
with the local saints and sadhus, of course -- for
a nationwide campaign
against the name Jyoti Phule Nagar.
"I am in favour of providing certain
benefits to dalits and other downtrodden," Mulayam Singh said, "but not at the
cost of the interest of upper caste people. They should not be
denied their due share in power."
The defence minister promised the gathering
he would raise Chitrakoot on every possible platform in
the country and strongly condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party and
Bahujan Samaj Party
for entering into an alliance
'sans any principle or ideology.'
"Why," he asked the crowd. "did not the staunch followers of
Ram (the BJP) demand the district be named Chitrakoot?"
As none of his listeners came up with an answer, Mulayam answered
his own question.
"(Because) the BJP is greedy for power," he concluded, "This exposes
their double standards."
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